I Wish Gene Kelly Was My Age
by ahrocks08
Summary: Lily gets home from a disastrous date and begins to think about what the perfect romance would be, and wonders who exactly is Mr. Right. Pre-James and Lily, Oneshot.


**A/N I realize that I have other stories that I could be working on, but I have like no motivation to work on them. But I will try after I post this, I swear.**

**This was originally an English project. I tweaked it so that now it is about Lily and her thoughts. It takes place in her 7****th**** year. I have made three major assumptions that you should be aware of: 1) The Tri Wizard tournament took place during her school years, 2) The tournament happens every 3 years (I don't have my GOF book with me to check) and 3) she is not with James yet (obviously)**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own anything even remotely familiar, except for some of the personal thoughts, regretfully, a lot of these memories are my own, but I don't want to talk about it. **

**I triple proofread this, so I hope it's as close to perfect as possible. (See note below)**

_What a disaster_, I thought as I took off my coat and put my purse on the nightstand. The room was dark; the other girls must be asleep. Oh well, it's probably better that way. My date tonight was horrible. First, we went to dinner in the Great Hall. How original. Then we went on a walk around the ground, while he talked about what he was planning on doing after we left Hogwarts. I didn't even have the opportunity to open my mouth. And then, when I thought it couldn't get any worse, he tried to kiss me. Now I'm not against kissing, but not on a first date and really, what _was_ that in his teeth?

Why can't I find my dream guy and live happily ever after? Seriously, I'm seventeen years old, hundreds of years ago most girls were already married and having kids by the time they were 17. Well, they might've been forced to, but that's not the point. The point is that they were already settled. It might not even have been Mr. Right, but who is Mr. Right, anyway?

I pondered this while I changed into my pajamas. They are my favorite, silky pink pants and a white shirt with pink hearts all over it. Mr. Right would definitely have to be Gene Kelly in _An American in Paris_. Yep, that's it, he was completely enamored and devoted to Lise, not to mention extremely flattering. Even Gene Kelly in _Brigadoon _would be a good Mr. Right. How could he not be, because if you lived in an enchanted town that only came around every 100 years, and you happened to fall in love with a guy who is technically 200 years younger than you, and then he comes back to you because he can't live without you, wouldn't you feel loved? Not that I'm likely to find someone like that here at Hogwarts, heck, the portraits are more romantic than all the boys I have dated. I wish Gene Kelly was my age. If he was, I would pursue him like Tom does Jerry in those Muggle cartoons.

_This is why I should stop watching all of those old romance movies that my mum enjoys so much_, I thought, _I start dreaming then reality hits me like the smell of a dead skunk on the road, suddenly and strongly_. It's not only movies that get me dreaming, for weeks after I read _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen I dreamed that I was Elizabeth and that I was in love with Mr. Darcy. I even talked like them. I laughed quietly at the memory. _That_ was interesting. I think I'm lucky I understood what was going on in my dream. Or like when I read _A Wrinkle In Time_ by Madeline L'Engle, the moment I read about Calvin, I knew that he and Meg belonged together. I want someone like that. You know, like love at first sight?

As I was brushing out my hair and taking of my jewelry, the Muggle song,_My Girl_ by the Temptations popped into my head. It used to be my favorite song when I was younger. That was before I realized how depressing it was when you really think about it. I mean if you aren't in a happy relationship, you spend the whole, and I mean the whole, song wondering why you don't have someone singing about having 'sunshine on a cloudy day' while thinking about you. This could just be me, but seriously, am I the only one who thinks about this?

Not that I need a happy relationship, or any kind of relationship for that matter, right now, not with NEWTs and friends to keep me busy. I barely have time to myself anymore. Especially since I am graduating this year, I don't want to be tied down, you know, feel obligated to stay close to home and get a job at the Ministry or something. Especially since I have always wanted to leave and experience new things in different parts of the world. I plan to travel all the time and hopefully find a job that will pay for my ambitious, expensive dream.

As I headed to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed, I started thinking about the perfect romance. It wasn't the fling romance like in _Casablanca _where there is no possible way for Rick and Ilsa to be together in the end. It was the soul mate romance like in _Funny Face _with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, or in _Gone with the Wind_, where everyone but Scarlett knew that she is supposed to be with the roguish Rhett Butler, and in the end she ends up ruining her marriage with him when she can finally have Ashley. Yes, that was definitely it, only it would have to be lasting.

I realized while I was brushing my teeth that my overactive imagination in these matters has made reality very difficult. Although it does make the first day of school better when you imagine that there will be an exchange student from a different country who falls madly in love with you and you with him, you know, with his charm and accent. Oh, an accent! A girl could meet someone who looked and acted like Gilligan from _Gilligan's Island_, and still fall madly in love with him as long as he had an accent.

My imagination has also gotten myself in trouble, well, not so much trouble as it gets my hopes up and then sends them crashing down. Like the Yule Ball in my fourth year, although I didn't have a date, I kept thinking that the guy I liked would show up and dance with me the whole night. That definitely didn't happen. I ended up dancing with only one guy the whole night and overheard in the bathroom later that he had done it out of pity. I had always thought that kind of stuff only happened in the movies. Obviously not. Then there was that time when I went to France, and I was positive that I was going to find a really cute Italian guy and love him forever, it didn't matter that I wasn't even going to Italy, I wanted to meet a cute Italian guy, darn it.

While I was washing my face, I looked in the mirror and tried to imagine what guys saw when they looked at me. Did they see me as Potter does? A prize to get and then leave me hanging once they get it. Or did they see someone they could spend the rest of their lives with, someone who they could talk to and live with while they had a family and grew old? As much as I hoped it was the latter, I doubted any of the immature boys I knew, like the Marauders, had even thought about the future.

As I climbed into bed I had a sudden thought: What if I fell madly in love with the wrong guy like in _Sabrina?_ Sabrina had always loved David, but after she stayed in Paris for a couple years, came back, and finally had a chance with David, she discovered that she had fallen in love with David's older brother, Linus. What if I found my 'Linus' and it was too late? What if I married the wrong person? Would I be able to make my marriage last?_ Really_, I thought after I had recomposed myself after that minor freak out, _I could live my whole life wondering "What if?" and not really live my life_. So, as Scarlett says in _Gone with the Wind_, I'll worry about it tomorrow.

All this guy talk has got me thinking about the Yule Ball this year. I am on the committee to plan it, and don't like the theme we have chosen. I wanted something more romantic, with bold colors, straight lines, and an air of elegance. What we are going to end up with is more of a high school party, which technically is what it is, but if I am going to spend all that money on it, I want to feel grown up and special. Not that it is likely to happen. I haven't gone to any party since, what I call, The Yule Ball Disaster, and I don't even have a date yet, but if worse comes to worse, I suppose my best friend, Alice, could find me a date. But if she even thinks about suggesting Potter, I swear I will never be her friend again.

Then my dreams took me away again. I thought how my date would take one look at me and never leave my side the whole night. And then after a perfect night, we would start dating and then...then I came out of my fantasy and realized that if I didn't stop, I was going to get a big wake up call come December. And it would not be a pleasant one.

As I drifted off to sleep in my very comfortable bed with the heating charm warming my feet against the chill of the room, I decided that I would be content just to live my life without worrying so much about dating. It only led to wishful thinking and besides, most people found their true love when they were not even looking for them. That's how my parents met. And look at them, they are happily living outside London.

So if I don't worry about guys so much, then I could concentrate on school and raise my good grades to even better grades so that I can get a better job. That would be good. Maybe not dating so much is a good idea. That way I can focus on the important stuff now, and then, when I am ready to settle down, and when I know exactly what I want in a husband, I'll look for Mr. Right.

And with that, I fell fast asleep, dreaming about the mysterious Mr. Right.

**A/N So how was it? I'm really proud of it. **

**I have been informed (somewhat rudely) that I need a beta. I don't really understand the whole process, so anyone willing would have to be patient with me and help me figure out what is going on, and possible brainstorming with me. PM me if you are interested. It might motivate me to work on **_**Through the Veil**_**. Haha.**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**

** Shandra  
**


End file.
